Reconnecting

As cool as it is to be in a new place and doing something new, there's something comforting and uplifting about connecting with old friends. Distance puts a lot of strain on a relationship, so it means a lot when you can pick up the phone or type up an email and catch up.

I had a great call with a friend today that's back in Arizona. She's someone that I got to share a lot of life with. I hope we can stay connected.

Got my library card!

A major transition point when moving to a new city is getting to know the local establishments. We've found the grocery stores and gas stations, I've even found a hair salon. And, yesterday, we got our library cards.

Have you ever brought an infant into a new library? It's intimidating. You're not sure if there will be a totally hushed atmosphere or if there will be a more lively children's section. You wonder if the librarians will be the types to shush.

Alexander had napped and eaten a snack before we left- so he was in prime position to be a pleasant patron. He was super sweet and smiley with the librarian while we were signing up for our cards- though adverse to his stroller, so I held him through this process. As Dave and I made our way to the upper floor to check out the non-fiction aisles, the little guy's attitude further improved. Perhaps to a fault. As I was scanning shelves for beading books he started squealing with delight. Every corner I turned brought about a new exclamation of surprise and excitement. Cute as it was, I made a beeline for the exit. He squeaked the whole way.

As seasoned parents, Dave and I practiced the fine art of taking turns. At dinner, you take turns on who gets to eat supper warm, and who gets to reheat it after caring for the baby. At the library, one person waits outside with the baby while the other gets 15 minutes to find the books he or she would like to check out. On my turn, I quickly hit the library computer for the catalog. Found the dewey decimal for beading (745.5 in case you're interested) and located my shelf. The books were pretty dated, but I grabbed a few and made it out to meet Dave and Alexander in exactly 15 minutes.

One book I ended up with that I am getting some good ideas from is Simply Beaded Bliss by Heidi Boyd. There are a good variety of project ideas, clear and illustrated instructions, and its copyrighted 2008- so the look of the jewelry is fairly contemporary.

The wide wide world of cloth diapers

Before Alexander was born, I did as many moms of the current era of motherhood do and borrowed every book on parenting, birth, and babies possible from every friend and relatively obscure acquaintance. From these books, I then made decisions on how I would like to parent my wee one, what I should name him, whether or not I should get an epidural (yoiks!), and if I should use disposable or cloth diapers.

I decided on cloth, mainly for environmental reasons. But by the time the baby actually came, I had a heap of disposables in different sizes from baby showers and hadn't made it to the store to purchase a single cloth diaper. So, I started with the disposables thinking I would move on to cloth once Dave and I got the diapering thing figured out in practice.

Well, I was just about out of disposables this weekend and decided it was time to move on. I hopped on the net to find out where I could buy some and do a little research on what kinds to get. For those of you who imagined "cloth diaper" meant a white square of cotton fabric that you safety pin on a baby, welcome to the wide wide world of cloth diapers...

Here are your current cloth diaper options:

Pre-Fold: the classic cotton square is incased in a water-proof outer layer that then snaps around the cutie's bootie

Pocket: a water-proof layer like that of the pre-fold casing is lined with cotton (or hemp, if you're so inclined). A pocket is cut into the lining so you can slip in an absorbent pad.

All-In-One: the pocket diaper, without the pocket. It's all-in-one, so there's no pocket, the absorbent pad is already attached and in place.

There are benefits and detriments to each of the above methods. And, each has several manufacturers. All of these options can come in various sizes, or, in one-size-fits-all adjustable varieties. You can get them in a world of colors and fabrics. You'll also need to buy accessories such as extra absorbent pads and a diaper pail for cloth diapers.

I headed to RG Natural Babies to learn more and make my purchases. Michelle, who owns and operates the store, walked me through the aisles and suggested I pick out a few different types of diapers and give them a try to see what worked best for Alexander and me. So, here's what I'm starting out with:

• a Thirsties pre-fold cover
• a FuzziBunz pocket diaper
• a TinyTush pocket diaper
• a GroVia al-in-one diaper

I'll keep you updated on how these work out.

Fresh Start

Rarely in life do you get the chance to start things fresh.

1. I've cleared old posts from this blog address I started long ago and have ambitions to explore some new topics.
2. My life has a new excitement and focus: his name being Alexander. He's 3 1/2 months old now and cute as a button.
3. The hubby and I have newly moved across the country. After five years in Arizona, we've headed back to the homeland of the Midwest.
4. I no longer work a 9-5 job. This is a little bit "yikes" and a lot a bit "oh, the world of possibilities!"

Everything feels new right now. And it's exciting. :)